O'HARA TOWNSHIP, Pa. — One week ago, storms severely impacted much of Allegheny County. As of Tuesday, in Fox Chapel and across O’Hara Township, downed power lines and fallen trees are still blocking many roads, and electricity has not yet been restored.
Channel 11 News spoke with residents of a nearby senior community who are still without power but received assistance Tuesday in the form of a hot meal from their state representative.
“We’re struggling,” said John Simmons, a resident of O’Hara Township.
On Tuesday, chicken, mac and cheese, a side salad, and dessert were provided to residents at the O’Hara Township Municipal Building. This small gesture made a significant impact on those who have been without power for a week.
“From what we’ve been told, our power won’t be back on until 10 p.m. tomorrow, so it’s another day without power,” Simmons said.
In Fox Chapel and across O’Hara Township, neighbors voiced their frustrations to their elected official while enjoying the free meal.
“First of all, the line workers are doing an amazing job; they are out there around the clock,” said State Representative Mandy Steele. “However, my main issue lies with Duquesne Light’s communication; residents have not been receiving updates from them, and they still aren’t.”
Steele, who represents the district and provided the lunch, told Channel 11 News that residents should receive at least two updates daily from Duquesne Light Company.
“I intend to hold a hearing to find out what went wrong, why the response was so slow, why people were without power for eight days, and how we can improve moving forward,” Steele said.
Across the region, areas like Fox Chapel, O’Hara Township and Oakmont are still littered with downed trees, branches and debris. Channel 11 was in Oakmont, where crews were clearing Hulton Road, a street that last week was lined with uprooted trees but has now reopened.
However, electricity has yet to be restored in some of these areas.
“Our seniors are struggling; our people with disabilities are struggling,” Steele said.
Some senior residents who managed to reach the municipal building for lunch expressed concern for their friends, many of whom rely on electric wheelchairs and oxygen.
“They said they would look after these people and prioritize them, but now we are entering our eighth day without power. Here we are, in a whole complex of elderly residents, and they are not helping at all. We feel like we are last on the list,” Simmons said.
Simmons’ senior living complex has been without power since last Tuesday.
“The whole complex relies on electricity, so there is no hot water and no way to cook. We have residents on oxygen and others with medical issues,” he said.
Customers in this area are hopeful that electricity will be restored within the next 24 hours. Channel 11 News will continue to monitor the situation.
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